Waterloo CS vs UofT CS
Hi everyone,
I was recently accepted to both Waterloo CS and UofT CS. UofT offered me up to a $50,000 scholarship, while Waterloo gave me a smaller scholarship. I know Waterloo is considered one of the best schools for co-op and CS employment, and most adults around me recommend Waterloo for that reason.
However, I’m honestly not sure whether I could survive the environment there. I’ve heard the workload and competition can be extremely intense, especially with co-op. Since I don’t have a strong career background yet, I’m worried about whether I’d actually be able to compete for co-op jobs in this market, especially now that people keep saying tech internships are getting harder to get.
At the same time, UofT seems stronger in terms of research, infrastructure, reputation, and overall academic environment, which also makes it very appealing to me.
I’m interested in cybersecurity/security engineering, but I’m still exploring my path. Part of me feels that going to UofT and spending more time building personal projects, attending hackathons during breaks, and developing my skills at my own pace might actually fit me better than constantly stressing over co-op cycles at Waterloo.
My long-term goal is to work at a FAANG-level company, which is also why I’m struggling with this decision so much. I know Waterloo has a much stronger reputation for co-op and FAANG placements, so part of me wonders if Waterloo is simply the easier or safer path to that goal. But I also wonder whether motivated UofT students can realistically reach the same opportunities through internships, projects, hackathons, and networking.
For current students or graduates from either school:
- How difficult/stressful is Waterloo co-op realistically?
- Is it still worth it in the current job market?
- Do UofT students still get strong internship opportunities if they work hard independently?
- Which school do you think is better for someone interested in cybersecurity?
- If FAANG is the goal, is Waterloo significantly better, or can UofT realistically provide similar opportunities?
I’d really appreciate honest opinions, especially from people who’ve experienced either environment directly.